Update- Midway through mixing. Most likely be a few recalls. Then some arguing. Then Mastering, Artwork, Video, Special Packaging, etc. Best Ballpark Guess- Release date somewhere between Mid May and Mid July. More focused updates to follow as we progress. @tool#simplemathpic.twitter.com/o6T4AloLtB

The most interesting point this raises for me is that what will happen on the coming US and European shows? Will we see new material? Will they just be greatest hits shows in the same mold as the last few tours? I’d always go to a Tool show if they were to swing past town, but if I were attending one of the US shows in May, I’d be a little disappointed to get the same show we’ve been seeing for the last six years again.

The mention of video is also intriguing, as typically videos have come out some time after the release of the album. Perhaps they are planning to launch with a video already the bag for their next album? Or perhaps details are being finalised to finally see that Opiate video.

Maynard said a few things on Twitter these last couple of days, that suggest the new Tool album won’t be released in April. Given that Tool drummer Danny Careymentioned at a Baked Potato show recently they were aimed for a release in April or May, this doesn’t really change much in my opinion.

My thoughts regarding an April release date was that it was never going to be mid-April, and Friday the 19th of April is Good Friday, leaving the 26th as the only realistic candidate. Therefore MJK’s statement only really rules out one potential release date.

That said, it’s time for this constant social media and band hearsay type posts to stop (as well as the related clickbait style news cycle). It’s long past time where the band start acting like grown ups, and put up or shut up.

Until we get some kind of formal announcement, or at least some more solid details from a band member, I won’t be posting any more date speculation from them.

Tool seem to be back working hard in the studio, with an update from Justin showing up his rig in the studio, as well as a quick Instagram post from Adam:

Justin sent me this photo with a caption: “Bass… How low can you go?” In speaking with him, he told me that he was making great progress in “a great studio.” He also told me how much fun he had at the recent Tool clinics and how impressed he was by many of the questions and comments from the band’s knowledgeable fans.

In other exciting news, Maynard James Keenan was recently given a Icon Award at the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards:

Maynard James Keenan received the Icon Award at last night’s Metal Hammer Golden Gods’ ceremony.

The award was presented to Keenan by Daniel P. Carter, host of BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show, recognizing a lifetime of contributions to heavy music, with past lifetime achievement winners including Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Lemmy and Alice in Chains. Keenan was celebrated for his work with his trio of bands: A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and Tool.

A much deserved award. Of interest to fans of the great man, he was quoted during his acceptance speech as saying “a lot of works being done, a lot of works been done. I’ll go on record now as saying you’re going to see some new music next year“. It seems somewhat clear to me he’s referring to Tool, but maybe some new Puscifer material could be on the cards. We’ll see in 2019!

Another quick weekly update for the Fourtheye faithful! If you’re one of those lucky enough to go to a Tool show/clinic in the next week and want to avoid spoilers, you should stop reading!

In this weeks edition:

Billy & Maynard Wig shopping

Setlists and Q&A from Tool Music Clinics

New music- Wrong, Skinless, Rivers of Nihil, Sleep

Billy & Maynard Wig shopping

Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel from A Perfect Circle have filmed a short, somewhat funny video for Revolver where they joke around in a wig shop. It’s not really champagne comedy, but worth a watch.

Setlists and Q&A from Tool Music Clinics

There’s a bunch of posts on Reddit which goes into detail what happened at the recent Tool Music Clinics. For the most part they sound like a cross between the standard Tool VIP experience, and an intimate instrumental only show. There’s a pretty cool Mega Thread happening on Reddit which covers and range of questions asked at the first clinic. Some interesting snippets of info!

At the Northern Invasion Tool show last night, the setlist was more or less the same as we’ve seen the last few years, with a nice addition of Sober. No doubt a range of videos will pop up on Youtube over the coming days. Adi Granov provided the artwork for the show. I’d wager that the show next weekend will have the same artwork

New music worth checking out!

Do you like Helmet? Wrong sound a lot like an old, angry version of that band, and their albums strays very close to out right copying them at times. They have a new album called Feel Great, and great it is!

An interesting interview came across my desk this morning, refreshingly nothing to do with A Perfect Circle’s new album. Christophe from Salival.fr recently interviewA Perfect Union of Contrary Things author Sarah Jensen, and asked her a bunch of questions about the process used to write the bio.

Here’s a sneak peek:

What was your approach here?
Maynard and I agreed early on that this wouldn’t be a typical rock-star biography. It wouldn’t be a book about Tool or a tell-all, but the story of Maynard’s journey. It hopefully would show that everyone’s life is a journey, and that the outcomes depend on the choices they make.

Did you meet Maynard for the content, phone him?
Maynard and I live on opposite sides of the country, so every Sunday we got on the phone, and he told me another chapter of his life. During the week, I worked on turning it into a story. He reviewed everything I wrote, and had final approval over it all.

Were there things more difficult to discuss with him, as there are some sensitive events depicted?
Maynard and I trust each other. That trust meant we could be open and honest with each other. We didn’t shy away from talking about sensitive areas, because it was all done to make the best book we could. Like he says: “If you’re going to do something, you do it. (…) You do it for the art.”

Plenty of Maynard James Keenan in the press at the moment, the most interesting of which are a chat with Lars Ulrich from Metallica, and a piece for The Australian.

Firstly, Maynard speaks in a video interview with Lars Ulrich. It’s a reasonable broad interview, touching on A Perfect Circle, as well as it’s relationship with the other bands in Maynard’s arsenal:

Also out in the last week, Andrew McMillen from The Australian had a pretty insightful chat with Maynard about the construction of Eat The Elephant:

Well, to put it another way, then. Do you recall which song went through the most revisions from the time that Billy initially sent the musical idea to you?

Oh, jeez. All of them. Yeah, they all evolve so much. Then we go down blind alleys, turn around and come back. Yeah, I don’t know. They all go through so many changes, and those changes can be quick, it might be like we mentioned; it could be that the music went through a million changes and all of a sudden, the lyrics came almost overnight, once it was settled.

You’re unique as a lyricist in that sense that you juggle writing for three different, popular bands. Do you have any personal rules or criteria that you use to determine whether a thought or idea would be best expressed through each of these outlets, and not the others?

No, never. It’s all about the music. It’s all about conversations. The way you speak to your mother is far different than the way you speak to your college roommate, or a bartender, or the mailman. You just honour those conversations that are in front of you; those subject matters, that music, it’ll all take that direction.

Looks like Tool have hit the studio, with Adam sharing a post via Instagram. Interesting to note that Billy Howerdel is in London doing A Perfect Circle media work at the moment, and Instagram suggests that Maynard is also in Europe.

Adam suggested earlier that Maynard will join the for 3 weeks in March, I assume those three weeks will be towards the end of the month.

Maynard has given us a refreshing clear answer as to the status of the new Tool album on Twitter this morning, and while it sound like progress is positive, I think we can safely rule out a release in the near future, and probably not until next year:

Started getting music files from the boys w the word FINAL in the title a few months ago after 11 years of begging. That in theory means the tracks wont change out from under me while I’m trying to write stories and melodies to them. In theory. Still waiting for the FINAL on 1,

So it sounds like the album is getting close to done from a songwriting perspective, but still not recorded at all. Given that A Perfect Circle are about to embark on some more touring in support of Eat The Elephant, I think it’s a safe assumption that we won’t see Tool recording until late 2018, which means promises of a release this year probably aren’t going to come to bear.

Albums of the Week

These guys are one of the best punk bands going around and have been a favorite of mine for many years. This album is probably some way off their best, but still worth a listen if political punk is your thing

Things are moving so slowly in Tool land at the moment, I’ve run out of material (and motivation) for regular posts. So while Tool are in stealth mode (likely for the rest of the year I expect) rather than bombarding you with with stuff that is only somewhat interesting, I’ll do a weekly update. This update will include Tool related stuff, relevant side projects, and even a few updates from bands that have supported Tool, or I feel would generally interest Fourtheye readers.